Two years after he co-founded the Packers with Curly Lambeau, George Calhoun began writing a piece called The Dope Sheet, which served as the official press release and game program from 1921-24.
Honoring Calhoun, the first publicity director, the Packers are running this weekly feature as their release, which is being made available to fans exclusively on Packers.com.
A complete edition of the Dope Sheet will be available each week during the season in PDF format, located in the Packers.com Game Centers.
Here are some highlights from the Packers-49ers Preseason Week 2 Dope Sheet:
GREEN BAY (0-1) at SAN FRANCISCO (0-1)
Saturday, Aug. 16 - Candlestick Park - 8 p.m. CDT
PACKERS HEAD WEST TO TAKE ON NINERS
-Green Bay makes its first road trip of 2008, traveling across the country to take on the San Francisco 49ers in the second preseason game.
-It will be a short week for the Green and Gold after opening up the preseason slate on Monday night against the Bengals with a 20-17 loss. Players return to the practice field Wednesday and Thursday before departing west Friday afternoon.
-Like any preseason game, there were a number of things to highlight Monday night, and of course plenty to correct. The Packers' starting units on offense and defense got into a nice rhythm, mounting a 10-0 lead after the first quarter.
-Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, making his first preseason start in front of a national audience, led the first-unit offense on two scoring drives, including a highlight touchdown connection with wide receiver James Jones.
-Also, the first-unit defense seemed to gain some momentum. It forced three consecutive three-and-outs for Carson Palmer and company.
-The main goal this week in Green Bay will be to heal many of the Packers core players. Seven projected starters were held out of action Monday night, while a number of other key backups were held out.
-Head Coach Mike McCarthy would prefer to play his first units a bit longer Saturday night, but health will be the determining factor.
-San Francisco enters its first home game of the preseason with a bit more rest, having traveled across the Bay last Friday to take on the Oakland Raiders, where it suffered an 18-6 defeat.
HOMECOMING FOR RODGERS, MCCARTHY
-Wherever Aaron Rodgers goes these days, the storyline follows. One week after making his first preseason start under center, on national television at Lambeau Field no less, he returns home to northern California.
-A native of Chico, Calif., and All-Pac-10 quarterback at Cal, Rodgers couldn't help but show his excitement for Saturday.
-"This is a big week for me," he said with a smile at his postgame press conference Monday night. "I'm looking forward to this one, definitely. I've got a lot of friends and family coming down from Chico. Growing up in northern California being a 49ers fan, and then going through (the 2005 NFL Draft) and all that that was, it's going to be exciting to go back there and play against the team I grew up watching."
-The inevitable Rodgers-Alex Smith comparisons will be made all week. Smith was chosen No. 1 overall by the 49ers in the 2005 NFL Draft, while Rodgers was the second quarterback drafted, arriving in Green Bay with the No. 24 selection.
-Though he's a Pittsburgh native, Mike McCarthy returns to the Bay Area, his last stop as an NFL assistant.
-McCarthy served as offensive coordinator under Mike Nolan in 2005, where he tutored Smith in his rookie season.
-A number of other players on the Green Bay roster will be coming home to play in front of friends and family. They include LB Desmond Bishop (Fairfield, Cal-Berkeley), CB Jarrett Bush (Vacaville), LB Spencer Havner (Grass Valley), WR James Jones (San Jose, San Jose State) and T Tony Moll (Sonoma).
WITH THE CALL
-The Green Bay Packers Broadcast Partners will air the game over a nine-station network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Northeastern Minnesota, with CBS network production, personnel and the latest network-quality technology.
-The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS's Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst).
-WTMJ's Jessie Garcia serves as the sideline reporter and WFRV's Larry McCarren joins the crew for pre-game segments. In addition to WFRV-TV (Green Bay) and WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee), the games are televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire; WYOW/ABC, Eagle River, Wis.; WJMN/CBS, Marquette, Mich.; and KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth, Minn.
-Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 56-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enter their 10th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 47 markets in six states.
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers:
All-time regular season: 28-25-1
All-time, in San Francisco: 11-16-1
All-time, postseason: 4-1-0
All-time, preseason: 1-2-0
Streaks: Packers have won six straight and 11 of the last 12
Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 10, 2006, Monster Park; Packers won, 30-19
Last meeting, preseason: Sept. 13, 1975, at Lambeau Field; 49ers won, 24-3
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 22-12-0, .647, (incl. 1-1 postseason); third NFL season
Mike Nolan: 16-32-0, .333; 4th NFL season
Head to Head: McCarthy 1-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 1-0 vs. 49ers; Nolan 0-1 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY...Is in third year as the Packers' 14th head coach.
-Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.
-Honored as the 2007 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year and NFL Alumni Coach of the Year.
-Became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead the team to a championship game in his second season.
-Tied franchise record for most victories by a coach in his first two seasons (21).
MIKE NOLAN...Is in fourth year as the 49ers' 15th head coach.
-Is in his 21st year in the NFL and 27th year in coaching, having served as defensive coordinator for four different teams (Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, New York Giants).
-Turned in his best season as a head coach in 2006, when the team went 7-9.
-Is the son of former NFL head coach Dick Nolan (San Francisco, New Orleans).
THE PACKERS-49ERS SERIES
-These familiar rivals meet for their first preseason contest in 33 years.
-Originally dating back to 1950, the Packers-49ers series featured two games per season from 1953-66 with the teams trading dominant stretches. San Francisco won 13 times in a span of 15 games between 1950-58, while the Packers won 10 of 11 games between 1959-64.
-In more recent times, the series has been noted for its postseason clashes, including several defining moments in Packers history. Green Bay's 27-17 victory in the 1995 NFC Divisional Playoff was considered the breakthrough victory that established the Packers as an elite team for the next several years.
-The Packers also won the next two postseason meetings, a 35-14 home victory in the 1996 NFC Divisional Playoff on the road to the Super Bowl XXXI title, and a 23-10 win in San Francisco in the 1997 NFC Championship Game. The two teams met in the playoffs for a fourth straight season in 1998, with the 49ers winning 30-27 on Steve Young's last-second touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, marking San Francisco's only win in these teams' last 12 contests.
-A fifth postseason clash took place in the 2001 NFC Wild Card Game, a 25-15 Green Bay victory at Lambeau Field.
{sportsad300}NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
McCarthy was the 49ers offensive coordinator in 2005 under Nolan and worked with QB and No. 1 overall draft pick Alex Smith...Packers hailing from northern California include LB Desmond Bishop (Fairfield, Cal-Berkeley), CB Jarrett Bush (Vacaville), LB Spencer Havner (Grass Valley), WR James Jones (San Jose, San Jose State), T Tony Moll (Sonoma) and QB Aaron Rodgers (Chico, Cal-Berkeley)...Packers tight ends coach Ben McAdoo spent one season in San Francisco (2005) as assistant offensive line/quality control...49ers special teams coordinator Al Everest held that same position with New Orleans during McCarthy's five seasons there, while defensive coordinator Greg Manusky was a linebacker for Kansas City when McCarthy was an offensive assistant there...49ers CB Nate Clements and Packers DT Ryan Pickett were teammates at Ohio State and were both first-round draft choices in 2001, taken just eight picks apart by the Buffalo Bills (Clements, 21st) and St. Louis Rams (Pickett, 29th)...49ers S Mark Roman (2004-05) and return specialist Allen Rossum (2000-01) each played for the Packers for two seasons...49ers QB J.T. O'Sullivan was a backup briefly for the Packers in 2004...49ers reserve offensive lineman Joe Toledo has spent time on Green Bay's practice squad...Packers LB A.J. Hawk and 49ers TE Vernon Davis were selected with consecutive picks, the fifth and sixth overall, in the first round of the 2006 draft.
INDIVIDUALLY VS. 49ERS
DT Ryan Pickett had a career-high seven solo tackles against the 49ers on Oct. 6, 2002, while playing for the Rams...RB Vernand Morency's first NFL start and touchdown came against San Francisco (Jan. 1, 2006), when he had then-career highs of 21 carries and 83 yards while playing for the Texans...In the 2006 meeting in San Francisco, LB A.J. Hawk had one of his three career interceptions, on a pass intended for Vernon Davis, S Nick Collins had one of his four career INTs, and WR Ruvell Martin caught his first NFL TD pass.
LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON
Dec. 10, 2006, at Monster Park, Packers won, 30-19.
-In the victory that started Green Bay's four-game winning streak to close the 2006 campaign, Donald Driver caught nine passes for 160 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, to lead an offense that put up 420 total yards.
-Ruvell Martin got the Packers on the board in the first quarter, slipping wide open behind the 49ers defense for a 36-yard TD, his first NFL TD catch.
?Frank Gore had a 72-yard run on his second carry to set up an early field goal, and Gore finished with 19 carries for 130 yards and a TD.
?Nick Collins and A.J. Hawk both had interceptions in the second half to thwart potential 49ers scoring drives.
LAST MEETING, PRESEASON
Sept. 13, 1975, at Lambeau Field; 49ers won, 24-3.
-On a chilly September night (48 degrees), San Francisco rushed for three scores to edge Green Bay in the final preseason game.
-RB Larry Schreiber got things going for the 49ers with a 3-yard scoring plunge to open the second quarter.
-Chester Marcol connected on a 38-yard field goal for the Packers just before the half to narrow the margin to 7-3.
-The 49ers added two more rushing touchdowns, one each in the third and fourth quarter, for the final result.
POSITION BATTLES HEATING UP
-With nearly every player back from a year ago, and a talented bunch of newcomers added to the mix, Packers training camp 2008 appears to be the most competitive in recent memory.
-General Manager Ted Thompson knows all about training camp battles. Signed as a non-drafted free agent linebacker by the Houston Oilers, Thompson annually held off younger competition brought in by Bum Phillips during his 10-year career.
-Nothing attracts attention and headlines during training camp like the fight for playing time.
-McCarthy acknowledged after the game just how deep the '08 roster is: "There's competition throughout our whole football team. We'll make sure every position is ready to go with more depth than we've ever had here as a football team."
-Here are the other positional battles that have been drawing the most interest through the first weeks of camp:
LEFT GUARD
Third-year pro Daryn Colledge has taken more reps with the No. 1 offense, but he must hold off a strong charge from second-year player Allen Barbre, who received some reps with the first-team offense against the Bengals. A Division II Missouri Southern State product, Barbre saw action in seven games as a rookie last season, and his uncanny athletic ability for an offensive lineman (he played gunner on his college punt coverage team) makes him an ideal fit for the zone-blocking scheme. Colledge, with 28 career starts, has the edge in experience. Center Scott Wells' injury has forced Jason Spitz to center with rookie guard Josh Sitton gaining valuable experience on the right side. It is feasible, upon Wells' return, for Spitz to slide to the left should Sitton prove his worth on the right side.
ALONG THE OUTSIDE
Few players on the football field can match the intensity of outside linebacker Brady Poppinga, who started at SAM linebacker for Green Bay the past two seasons. A defensive end at BYU, he has natural pass-rush instincts and has taken some occasional reps at defensive end during the first week of camp. However, the team did sign Brandon Chillar from St. Louis, who comes in advertised as a top cover man. Look for defensive coordinator Bob Sanders to try out some experiments - such as Poppinga as a situational defensive end or the 2-4-5 formation - during the preseason. Will one linebacker win the job, or will the two platoon throughout the year? Either way, count on both playing key roles on special teams. Poppinga and Chillar were two staples of the special teams unit Monday night against Cincinnati.
An equally intense battle has emerged among the backup linebackers. The Packers kept five last year, but Desmond Bishop and Abdul Hodge have both looked excellent in the middle, while Tracy White on the outside is a valubale special teams performer. It will be worth watching how many linebackers Green Bay decides to keep with cuts looming at the end of the month.
NICKEL BACK
The third cornerback on an NFL team gets enough reps to be considered a "12th" defensive starter. Jarrett Bush held that job at the beginning of '07 before Tramon Williams came on strong at the end of the season. While Williams was forced out of some early training camp practices with a hip injury, he recovered to have a nice showing in the 'Family Night' scrimmage and against the Bengals and appears to have the inside track on the job. Will Blackmon proved to be an impact player on special teams, but coaches are monitoring his reps in the hopes that he will be injury-free this coming season. Where does second-round pick Pat Lee fit in? With solid performances in his first live action this past week, he certainly can't be counted out of the nickel competition just yet. With a bevy of talent at wide receiver, this group has been tested early and often in practice.
